Earlier this month Instagram confirmed that it is testing a download button which will let you download your complete data and today the company is rolling out the feature to everyone. Dubbed ‘Data Download’ will allow you “download your information so if you wish to leave for another photo sharing network.
This new Data Download feature lets you save a copy of your profile data including photos, videos, archived Stories, profile, info, comments, and messages. It can take a few hours for your download to be ready. This information about the download button is confirmed by the Instagram Spokesperson and said: “the Data Download tool is currently accessible to everyone on the web.” The update to iOS and Android is still rolling out.
However, there’s a catch; the download contains info, photos, videos, archived Stories that are posted after December 2017. It also includes story captions, your uploaded contacts, the usernames of your followers and people you follow, direct messages, non-ephemeral Direct message photos and videos, comments, Likes, searches, and settings.
The tool is mandatory for Instagram to comply with the data portability rule in European Union’s GDPR privacy law that goes into effect on May 25th. Instagram has evolved into one of the major photo sharing networks in the world with over 800 million users, and this tool is a fair bargain as it shouldn’t restrict users from using other alternatives if they wish to. You can request your profile data on Instagram from here on the web.